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Keppy's Steinway Piano
Keppy's Steinway Piano is a professional piano soundfont developed by KaleidonKep99. The soundfont is based off samples from a Steinway D-274 concert grand piano, and it was sampled with a TASCAM DR-40. It was provided in the SFZ format, which allows for the customization of the soundfont to a user's specific preference, and for optimization for various types of MIDIs. The SoundFont got re-released on December 29, 2017, as a Christmas gift for Keppy's fanbase. Version 3.xx and before This soundfont was originally provided in the SF2 format prior to the debut of version 3.0 in July 2015. The oldest version of the soundfont is thought to be version 1.6, and versions prior to version 2.0 are closed to the public. As of version 3.0, the soundfont was provided in SFZ format, with OGG 320 kbit/s samples. Version 3.0 also saw the addition of bright samples in addition to the original grand piano samples. When the project was in this stage, there were several add-on packs with new presets and samples released as well, such as the fantasy grand, concert grand, and old upright grand add-ons. Version 4.xx The project was updated to version 4.00 in March 2016, when Frozen Snow Productions, in collaboration with Keppy Studios, remastered all the samples with the Frozen Bass System. The presets were also enhanced with new values as lfo, resulting in better audio overall. It is also important to note the audio format was changed from OGG 320 kbit/s to WAV 1411 kbit/s, also resulting in higher quality audio overall. This bass-boosted version of Keppy's Steinway Piano received high acclaim at the time, but it is important to note that now this version is highly looked down upon. Things, however, changed with the next update. With version 4.01, which enhanced the presets and provided minor edits to the existing samples, the project became a donationware, where people were required to pay a minimum amount of 1 ¢ to download the project. This, however, was revised to a minimum amount of 2 ¢ after the discovery of how a payment of 1 ¢ rendered no amount to Keppy Studios because of how PayPal transmissions are taxed. Kryo Keys I When the project was in the stage 4.xx, the Kryo Keys series was made. The Kryo Keys series was an even more remastered version of version 4.00 of Keppy's Steinway Piano with even more defined high, mid, and low keys. This series was offered as 3 separate versions, a normal grand with the version number '4.4', a concert grand with the version number '5.1', and a special grand with the version number '5.3'. The concert grand version differed from the normal grand version in that it had a separate set of samples for a bright sound whilst the normal grand did not. There were also a wider selection of presets included with the concert grand version. This, however, came at a price. Kryo Keys was also donationware, with the normal version offered at a minimum amount of logistically, 2 ¢, while to get the concert grand version, a minimum payment of $30 was required. It is also important to note that a later bug on Keppy Studios' site allowed several people to download the normal version of Kryo Keys for free. It is also important to notice that the Kryo Keys series was a failed project. The samples were bugged, as they were of a very low quality (160 kbit/s OGG). The special grand version did have higher quality samples (1411 kbit/s WAV), but that version was restricted to only KaleidonKep99, Frozen Snow, and EpreTroll. Version 5.xx After just a month, opinions about the soundfont clearly changed and version 5.0 of the soundfont was released in May 2016. This dropped the extensive bass added onto each sample in versions 4.xx of the soundfont and included new equalization on each sample. At the time of release, it was also announced as the "last" version, although that of course, changed, with the debut of version 5.1 in July 2016, with reduced reverb and bass, and the addition of the ultrarealistic presets, which used a brand new hammer sample from the Roland RD-1000. This was the first version of the soundfont to be hosted on Github as well, as Keppy Studios was closed and its original website hosted on Altervista was deleted. Further releases of Keppy's Steinway Piano from this point onward are now all available in the Github repository. The soundfont was also made free once again. Kryo Keys II When the project was in this stage, the Kryo Keys series was rebooted. Kryo Keys II was released, with the renowned "Quantum System" providing a strong sound to each sample, yet not blatantly overadding bass to the distaste of Kryo Keys I. This time, the samples were also of high quality, provided in WAV 1411 kbit/s. This, however, came at a minimum amount of $60, although purchasers of Kryo Keys I had a free upgrade to this revision. Although unfortunately, Kryo Keys II also fell out of taste as opinions changed and saw it as just another version of Keppy's Steinway Piano with unneeded effects and still, too much bass. Version 6.xx Versions 6.xx, which came in October 2016, updated the presets and samples to make the soundfont "on the same level as a professional VST". An important characteristic of these versions included the mass reduction of the bass on each sample in response to public opinions. A short experiment with "soft-standard" presets also took place, but they were quickly removed with the advent of version 6.27 of the soundfont in November 2016. When the project was in this stage, yet another iteration of Keppy's Steinway Piano was released. This iteration, dubbed Flashback D-274, boasted much more realisticality than Keppy's Steinway Piano, because it used samples from version 1.6 of the soundfont, which were not as edited as versions 6.xx, but although it sounded more realistic, much more attention has been garnered by versions 6.xx of Keppy's Steinway Piano due to it being very optimized, especially for Black MIDIs. Version 7.xx After almost half a year with no updates, version 7.0 came along, in April 2017. The major change with this version was the updating of the rules. Previously, there were strict rules regulating the use of the soundfont (it must not be mixed with any other soundfont and audio effects can only be used to a certain degree, and a certain line must be copypasted in all works/videos using the piano soundfont for its audio), however, this update took these restrictions away and crediting was made optional, mostly due to public pressure. The final release as of now, version 7.1, which debuted in May 2017, boasted a brand new set of samples in addition to the existing concert grand and bright sample sets, under the name "classic grand".